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Perfect for spring, this spaghetti carbonara with peas and asparagus is creamy, delicious and so simple! You’ll love it for an easy weeknight meal!
So, are you tired of reading about my crazy weather? I can’t help but comment on it. Yesterday it was SO warm and beautiful. Like a summer day! And now it’s snowing again. It just can’t make up its mind!
Regardless, though, I’m treating it as if its spring and we’re eating all of the spring foods. Hooray!
What’s more spring than asparagus and peas!? Well, maybe rhubarb. But my plant is currently covered in snow, so we’ll stick to the asparagus.
My kids aren’t a huge fan of the stiff green stalks, but Etienne and I love it. A good compromise for family dinners is sticking the asparagus in a pasta that they love, and then we will sometimes just eat the green bits for them. Peas are apparently ok.
This pasta is full of goodness and its also super easy to put together! Perfect for a warm spring day.
What is a carbonara pasta?
Well there are the purists out there that will tell you that there are a few mandatory elements to a classic carbonara pasta:
- must be made with pancetta
- egg yolks only, with no cream
- parmesan cheese
This spaghetti carbonara with peas is made with bacon (gasp) since we all usually have bacon on hand. Right? Or is that just me? And I DO add cream to my carbonara sauce, because it really makes this a creamy, saucy pasta, which my family really loves! The parmesan cheese is a no-brainer.
Along with the bacon, egg yolk and parmesan, this recipe has:
- mushrooms
- onion
- asparagus
- green peas
How do you make this spaghetti carbonara with peas and asparagus?
This pasta can be yours in 30 minutes! Start this recipe by first frying the bacon (or pancetta if you have it on hand) in a large skillet. Cook the bacon until it crisps up, then remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Remove all of the grease except 2 tablespoons.
Next, add the onions and stir fry them for a few minutes, before adding the mushrooms and asparagus. Cook the veggies until softened, about 6-7 minutes.
In the mean time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop, and cook the spaghetti until just al dente. In a separate dish, whisk together the egg yolks with the cream and half of the parmesan cheese.
When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain it, reserving a cup of the salty pasta water.
Add the spaghetti to the pan, along with the cream/parmesan/egg yolk mixture, and stir to combine everything. If the pasta is very thick, add a tablespoon of two of the reserved pasta water to get everything nice and creamy.
Top the pasta with the reserved crispy bacon and some extra parmesan cheese.
It is DELICIOUS!
How many servings does this recipe make?
This dish serves about 4 adults. If you’re just cooking for the two of you, then you’ll both have delicious leftovers for the next day! The pasta keeps well, and reheats well too. Store it in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
This pasta is perfect for an easy spring dinner! You’ll love it!
If you like this spaghetti carbonara with peas you’ll LOVE a few of these other pasta dishes from the blog:
PrintSpaghetti Carbonara with Peas and Asparagus
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Description
Perfect for spring, this spaghetti carbonara with peas and asparagus is creamy, delicious and so simple! You’ll love it for an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick cut bacon
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup asparagus, trimmed and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 lb spaghetti
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Discard all of the grease except 2 tablespoons.
- Add the onions to the bacon grease and stir-fry them for a few minutes, before adding the mushrooms and asparagus. Cook the veggies until softened, about 6-7 minutes, stirring often. Add the peas and stir. In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, heavy cream and half of the parmesan cheese.
- While the veggies are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stovetop, adding the spaghetti and cooking it until just al dente, about 7 minutes. When the spaghetti is done cooking, drain it, reserving a cup of the salty pasta water.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with the veggies, followed by the cream/parmesan/egg yolk mixture, and stir to combine everything. If the pasta is very thick, add a tablespoon of two of the reserved pasta water to get everything nice and creamy.
- Add the remaining parmesan cheese and crisped up bacon to the pan, and serve immediately.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the fridge, for 2-3 days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Haha you’re brave Katherine – you might have got upset some Italians about this carbonara version. (On second though, I must have got upset even more people with my sweet & savoury pasta and risotto interpretations a few years back! lol) As long as we don’t claim a recipe being authentic, that’s perfectly fine. Everything is about inspiration, mashups, and twists in the culinary world anyway! So whatever you name it, I am fine – especially because the combination of bacon, mushrooms, asparagus, and peas in a creamy silky sauce is irresistibly good! (Daisy approves the bacon part.)
Yes totally agree with you Ben! It is all about the twists in the culinary world – that’s how we keep things interesting right!? I’m glad you (and Daisy) aprpove!
We love carbonara! This is my ideal spring pasta, Katherine. My mouth is literally watering thinking of it. Definitely going on next week’s menu!
Thank you Marissa! So happy to hear that! We love it too – such an easy pasta dish and so satisfying!
I’ve never made carbonara… but oh my, I’d love a vegetarian version! What a delicious pasta night, despite the snowy weather. And peas and asparagus? A totally delicious match!!
Thank you Traci!! You should definitely give it a try and just skip the bacon! Perfect for the spring 🙂
We love, love, love carbonara at my house!! And 99% of the time we use bacon and cream too. Peas and mushrooms are common additions for us, but I love the idea of adding onions and asparagus. SO good Katherine!! And this one is always a winner with my little bugs too.
It’s just so much easier to have on hand, right!? I’m so happy to hear you all love carbonara as much as we do!! Yum!! Thanks girl!